Metallica: Through the Never review

METALLICA: THROUGH THE NEVER:

SOUNDS LIKE A CONCERT, FEELS LIKE ECSTASY!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** 1/2 out of 4

PICTUREHOUSE

Trip the kid in Metallica: Through the Never

FINALLY!!!…

            A 3D concert movie for me to enjoy that ISN”T Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, or One Direction, instead it’s a big and loud IMAX 3D concert experience, featuring one of the most popular rock bands of all time, Metallica. I’ve seen other concert films in the past like Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains The Same and Michael Jackson’s This Is It, but what makes Metallica: Through the Never stand out is how surreal the overall movie is.

            It isn’t about the inspiration and influence of the band like most concert flicks are, instead director Nimrod Antal (Predators) created a fictional story around the Metallica concert, which is actually very unique.

            As Metallica (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo) rocks out at a sold out concert event, a young roadie kid named Trip (Dane DeHaan-True Blood, Chronicle, Lawless) is sent on an important mission to meet an abandoned truck and receive a particular item, though we are never explained what it is. It doesn’t take long for Trip’s objective to transform into a game of survival when his van is hit by another vehicle and he finds himself battling a death-dealing horseman (Don’t worry, this time he has a head!).

            As Trip flees through the demolished streets, he must use his wits and skills in order to avoid the horseman and deliver Metallica’s cargo.

            Where do I begin with this movie? Metallica: Through the Never is an unbelievable experience, the choreography is absolutely breathtaking, if not a little trippy, Metallica’s tunes go very well with all the scenes involving Trip, and the songs as a whole are irresistibly catchy and I mean it, it’s so hard to resist “Head-Banging” to these songs. Overall I really enjoyed this film, but there is one small problem I have with it, while the Metallica concert footage is very entertaining to watch, it can get a little distracting when it shifts between Trip’s scenes and the concert, but that’s a very small issue I have with it.

            More concert movies should be made like this, Michael Jackson had some bizarre moments in This Is It, but it was mostly the typical concert movie style, where they talk about the mechanics and concert execution. Metallica, on the other hand, took chances and created something completely different from other music experiences, give them credit for that.

            The IMAX 3D quality of the movie is mind-blowing, the crystal clear projection, 12,000-watt sound system, and the giant screen will look, sound, and feel like you’re in a front row seat of a Metallica concert…and in the middle of a battle of life and death.

            So throw One Direction: This Is Us in a garbage chute and experience a REAL 3D concert experience with Metallica: Through the Never.